Gamma Ray Burst 971214

The image on the left shows the visible-light afterglow of the burst (marked with an arrow), obtained about two days after the burst, while it was still relatively bright.

The image on the right shows the same field as seen about two months later, after the burst afterglow has faded away, revealing a faint galaxy at its position (also marked with an arrow). The measurement of its distance shows it to be some 12 billion light years away (assuming the current best guess of the age of the universe of about 14 billion years).